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Subscribe to RSSA wild bottlenose dolphin, tangled in a fishing line, swims up to a diver in Hawaii and waits while the diver cuts the line free.
When a dolphin needed help off the coast of Hawaii, he was determined to let a scuba instructor know.
Keller Laros was leading a group of divers on a tour of the waters off of Kona, Hawaii, on Jan. 11. He often goes on his dives with professional underwater videographers and this night was no exception.
But as Laros, his camerawoman and the rest of the group began their dive, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
"All of a sudden I heard a loud squeak, and I turned around, and the dolphin was literally three feet behind me," Laros said. "He swam right up to me."
The bottlenose dolphin slowly swam around Laros, the other divers, and manta rays -- which were what the divers had been gone down to see in the first place -- when they heard the squeak.
What struck Laros immediately about the dolphin was that he was alone.
"We've seen five of those dolphins at this dive site at the night dive before. They're very curious and intelligent animals," he said. "Dolphins are really social animals. In the past we've seen at least two [at this site]."
Laros, who has done more than 10,000 dives, quickly knew something was wrong. When the dolphin circled by him again, Laros noticed he had a fishing line hooked onto his fin.
As camerawoman Martina Wing's underwater video rolled, Laros gestured with his hand for the dolphin to come close.
"I said, 'come here,' and he swam right up to me," he said. "I put my hand out and I was able to get the fishing hook out of his left pectoral fin. The fishing line came from his mouth down through the hook in the left pectoral fin, and then was wrapped all the way around the pectoral fin and it trailed off down the side of the animal."
Laros was able to remove the hook from dolphin's fin, but still needed to get him untangled from the line. As the dolphin patiently floated inches in front of him, Laros took out dive tools that he carries in his suit, including a pair of small scissors.
He was able to clip the line off of the dolphin's mouth and fin, but there was still a little left. The dolphin went up for a breath of air and came back down.
Then Laros and another dive guide removed as much line from under the fin as they could.
"I guess the dolphin was happy with our work. He swam away and we never saw him again," he said.
During the three minutes that Laros was face-to-face with the dolphin, and the eight minutes in total that he estimated they interacted, he was worried he might scare the animal.
"The dolphin was big -- maybe up to ten feet long," he said. "I was worried when I was removing the fishing line if I hurt him, he could inadvertently be startled and hurt me. I was concerned, but not frightened."
Laros, the founder of the Manta Pacific Research Foundation, has removed many fishing hooks from manta rays and turtles that have swallowed bait, but said he had never helped a dolphin.
"It's a huge thrill to be able to help an animal that clearly knows what's going on," he said. "He made the effort to come to us... The dolphin is really intelligent. It's a relationship. He came to us because he had a problem."
The original eight-minute video of Laros' interaction with the dolphin had gotten over half a million views by Wednesday afternoon. Click below to see Laros' abridged version, with audio.
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this is just a cool story!! we should try to connect more with animals.
Fabulous story. Yes the are HIGHLY intelligent. Now let's just keep the Japanese from killing them.Thank goodness this guy had the tools to help the poor, but now happy mammal.
Yes, let's take some of the billions we spend on housepets and dedicate it instead to helping wild animals in their natural habitat.
That's AWESOME.
I worry about the part that was still in his mouth.
Agreed. What an awesome video.
yeah that is so great. thanks. stop the plastic in the ocean.
Fan-freaking-tastic, agreed, way cool!
This is just another instance of the intelligence these animals and their cousins, the Whales, posses.. Although I have heard stories of Dolphins rescuing drowning sailors this is the first time I've witnessed one coming up to get help from a human.. They ARE friendly, smart animals but the way they have been and still are being treated, particularly by Asian nations such as Japan, Taiwan, China and others, who slaughter these gentle animals by the thousands each year, I'm very surprised any wild one would come seeking help from one of us.. It warms the heart but also makes me fear for this one.. I hope he doesn't think ALL humans are nice guys!
This is a great story! Kudos to Laros... next time in Hawaii I will definitely look him up!
Stunning episode. Great job by the diver. That was quick thinking, buddy. Awesome job.
If anyone reading this has not read the fable of Daniel and the Lion, you should.
What a fantastic story and it clearly illustrates the intelligence of these beautiful animals. Dolphins are incredibly smart and social animals and there is a long history of them coming to the aid of people in the water who have been in distress. It is great that this time a person was able to return the favor. And just for the record, the dolphins that the Japanese fish for in quantity are the dolphin fish (also known as mahi-mahi), not these beautiful, friendly, intelligent mammals.
Reading this news story really put a big smile on my face because as an animal lover, i can't get get enough of this.
Two big thumbs up for the divers. This really made my day. THANKS.
Nice story but I wonder if he is going to get hemmed up by the Feds for violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA)
No, actually.... the Japanese kill these dolphin; videos and movies exist of such. Not Mahi Mahi alone. And, they don't do anything close to humane; they club, stab, and beat them to death once corraled. Disgusting doesn't sum it up.
They are incredibley smart mammals, and it seems that given this fellow's occupation and scope and number of dives in this area, the dolphin likely viewed him as a distant pod partner. It's very hard to comprehend the reasoning and intellect it took for this endangered friend to more or less swim up and say 'hey... some help here, please?' Even going up for air and coming back to finish the job.
How many of us have trouble even getting our dogs to sit for a nail trimming; our best friend companion animals that have lived with, ate with, slept with and played with for years?
If I could go back, do it all over again, marine biology would've been my passion. Space not included as is more elusive and not as practical, the oceans and life within are truly our final frontier..... . Absolutely amazing.
JS. just google japanese killing of dolphins and get ready to get sick. I mean they kill Flipper not mahi-mahi.......
That is one of the truly amazing stories I've read this year.
Gidday Moderation..Good to see you again...Glad this one survived as no one seems to know about the 900 odd dolphins they just slaughtered in the Solomon Islands yesterday. Was on our news here last night as "pay back" as some environmental mob were meant to give the Islanders money to stop hunting them. They say they never got the money so slaughtered over 900 instead.....words fail me...
Agreed... great illustration on man's relationship with nature. I like to point out something that is hinted at in some the comments. Man is (Unfairly I believe.) have been considered the "blight" upon the earth. But as the article illustrates we are a part of this biome as much as the Dolphin is. There are obvious abuses that man has inflicted on the Earth, wildlife and each-other BUT we are also "animals" that need saving..... Without further explanation of what I mean let me just say this:
The Dolphin was entangled with line and hook made by man... but it went to man to solve the problem..... We claim that the Dolphin is acting on an Intellectual level worth noting... so I say... maybe the Dolphin knows something about man that man himself completely miss.
My hats off to Mr. Laros and his crew for a job well done. The compassion and serenity just pours from that footage! That’s Awesome!
Incredible story. It isn't much, but I no longer eat sushi since I will not contribute to the destruction of the oceans wildlife, especially the bluefin tuna's, also known as "maguro".
Beautiful story! And another example of just how high up dolphins are on the sentience continuum. This dolphin definitely showed higher intelligence and reasoning level. I hope the video goes hyper viral the world over--and that more people the world over become aware of just how wrong it is to eat such intelligent animals. The more people in those countries that eat whale, dolphin, and yes--apes and elephants as well (which are eaten by some people in Africa)--the more they become aware of these animals high sentience the less they will want to eat them, hopefully.
mike cristain-- I still eat fish, whether sushi or fixed some other way--but I limit myself to fish who's species are at healthy population levels and are fished in responsible ways--check Monterrey Bay Aquarium for their guides. I definitely will NOT eat bluefin--they are being overfished! Way overfished, particularly the Giant Bluefin Tuna. I also will not eat Orange Roughy--they are delicious, I've eaten them in the distant past before I found out that it takes over 20 years for one to reach sexual maturity, which means their numbers can't keep up with the demand.
One of the writers exxpressed concerns over the part of the line still in the dolphins mouth. I asked a Game and Fish Officer once about releasing trout and other fresh water fish that had inadvertently partially swallowed a bait hook, because they normally get pretty torn up and die trying to remove the hook. The G & W Officer told me to trim the line as close to the fish's mouth as you can without injuring it, and within 72 hours the internal chemistry of the fish's body will disintegrate hooks, line, and whatever within the body. I don't know if it is the same for dolphins, but maybe someone else out there does ... it would be nice to know.
Great story and it was good to have it shared. So-called dumb animals have an edge on many human beings.
"Dude, look, I know this is your stuff, all right? Just get it off me, man."
Did you see all the marks & scars on the dolphin? That dolphin has already been through quite a bit, it would seem. So glad it got the help it so desperately needed!
Hooray for GOOD news!
All I can say is that was BEAUTIFUL!
Yes... nice news for a change :)
Great story. Job well done.
10,000 dives. Wow.
I hope there isn't a Hook still in his mouth or belly.
On You Tube it states the hook is in the pectoral fin and couldn't be removed.
The You Tube video's been updated to note that the hook was removed successfully.
good news.
I thought the hooks that are made now are biodegradable? I thought I heard they now dissolve and dont harm the fish that swallow them? Has anyone else heard that? I also did not know about the Orange Roughy fish Lisa C. Damn , to me that is the BEST fish to eat. Oh well I guess I wont be eating it anymore. I guess that is why it is a very expensive fish to buy at the fish market. It is usually around 11 to 15 dollars a pound.
Great story. Long live Flipper!!!!!
WOW !
Kudos to Keller Laros and Martina Wing for their compassion towards this beautiful animal that sought their help. The dolphin had probably seen them diving in the area on other occasions and knew that they were not a threat to him/her. Dolphins have been known to help people in times of trouble so it's nice that Laros and Wing could return the favor.
That was awesome! Good job!
See, dolphins know.
You rock!
I love dolphins. I think they are smarter than us in some ways. I'll never understand how the Japanese can kill them and eat them. I hope all those dolphin killers die from mercury poisoning...
I'm so glad the diver was able to help that dolphin. It's really amazing that the dolphin approached them for help and stayed with them for over 8 minutes. Amazing story.
That poor little baby! I'm so glad the guy he trusted was awesome!
Mr. Laros, my friend, you have scored some major karma points with that. I'm in awe of the whole thing. Fantastic!
way cool!
Utterly amazing!
My wife walked by my desk and asked why I was crying. I told her it was allergies.
Sometimes humans do the correct thing -- kudos to all of them for helping.
(Returning the many favors dolphins have done for us ...)
How did the diver know the dolphin was a male?
Also, if the dolphin "knew" (as that one fellow said) that humans were there to help, what does the dolphin think about the inventors and users of the fishing line?
Some people feel that it is very disruptive to those mammals to have humans diving there every day.
I'm gonna bet this one did not think it disruptive to get that line taken off.
rebeca,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, size.
just like a male human, male cat, male elephant.................. males are larger.
I don't think that humans are disruptive to them--unless the humans are actually hunting the dolphins. Dolphins are well known for playing in the wake of boats and I have witnessed that numerous times... Dolphins also somehow know which Orca pods eat only fish and which ones eat marine mammals--including dolphins. So the dolphins avoid the Orca pods that are dangerous to them.
Male Animals at times under duress will extend penis. Not that there was any type of stimulation. "Think about the humans that left the fishing lines"? Wouldn't that take the ability to Reason?
This is pretty cool.
Many animals have a sense pertaining to humans as to who is "safe" and who is a threat. Just as dogs can seem to sense bad people and sense fear in people and differentiate between them and those that are not a threat, I'm sure dolphins also have this ability. It may also well be that this man and dolphin have in fact interacted at times during their lives, and the dolphin has learned that this particular human is not a threat to him.
Rebecca, I have it on very good authority that female dolphins wear these tiny coconut bikini tops specifically so that humans can gender-identify them. They used to wear muumuus, but some haole told them it made them look fat. The males, however, are much more laid back - they tend to go 'free style'.
Best comment of the day!!!
That was awesome . Thanks for sharing. These animals are very smart and it was great to see humans assisting an animal that is often times used by us because of their superior intelligence. As in mine detection and other military uses.
Great payback for these wonderful animals.
What a wonderful story and video. The diver must have felt very privileged to be approached for help.
This is a really amazing story. That the dolphin knew what to do and how to get help just goes to show just how intelligent they truly are.
Truly Inspiring and Beautiful..I was speechless which does not happen often!